Internet services such as Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP) services are becoming ubiquitous and more and more businesses and consumers are relying on their Internet connections for both data and voice communications needs. One of the advantages of obtaining services on an Internet Protocol (IP) based infrastructure is the flexibility of being able to access services from anywhere with an Internet connection. Namely, customers are provided with more flexible options and can obtain the same service regardless of whether the call originated from a home, a hotel, a dormitory, etc. When a customer requests for a service, the customer's telephone number and device are associated with the service.
For example, a VoIP customer may move the telephone adaptor to a new location and continue accessing services while away from home. However, some services are provided based on the physical location of the caller. For example, calls to obtain emergency service, e.g., 911 service, are routed to the closest center equipped to provide the emergency service. For example, in North America, when a customer dials 911, the Public Switched Telephone Network (PSTN) uses the caller's telephone number to associate the call with a location (address), and provides the telephone number and location of the caller to the appropriate Public Safety Answering Point (PSAP).
When 911 calls originate in a packet network such as a VoIP network, the VoIP service provider is required by the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) to route the 911 call to the PSAP that serves the caller's present location. Further, VoIP services providers are required to provide the telephone number and to make the physical location of the caller available to the proper PSAP. For example, the VoIP service provider may obtain the service address when a customer subscribes to a VoIP service. However, due to the flexible nature of the VoIP service, the customer may at a later time move the customer endpoint device, e.g., analog terminal adaptor, softphone, IP phone, wireless phone, etc. to another physical location and continue accessing services. Thus, the address obtained during the service subscription may no longer be usable for calls that rely on the physical location of the caller, e.g., E911 calls. FCC regulations require the VoIP service provider to either provide access to 911 services at the new location or restrict the customer's service at the new location.